A strong demand exists for lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries with high energy density, longer cycle life, and better safety in portable electronic devices and power supply application such a long-range drivable electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid EVs. Even though tremendous advances have occurred in Li-ion batteries, most still use commercial graphite as the main anode material for the last twenty years. Due to low electrochemical capacity of graphite (372 mAh/g), substantial efforts have focused on developing new negative electrode materials with improved storage capacity, especially silicon (Si) as a strong candidate because it has the highest theoretical capacity (Li4.4Si≈4200 mAh/g) of all know materials, and being abundant and inexpensive. Generally, it shows a higher voltage plateau than that of graphite and lithiated silicon is more stable in typical electrolytes than lithiated graphite, making lithiated silicon safer.
However, commercialization of silicon has many difficulties because poor cycling performance resulting from large volume changes (˜300%) upon the intercalation of Li-ion during charge step compared to that (˜10%) of graphic. Current research efforts have mostly focused on the improvement of silicon anode cycling performance using several approaches such as silicon-carbon (Si—C) composite with reducing the Si particle size, adding the Si particles in a carbon matrix, creating a carbon coating layer on Si particles, applying different binders with higher bonding strength, or restricting severe volume changes of Si using a three-dimension copper framework.